[FM Discuss] Shuttleworth Foundation: Free textbook help needed

[Joshua Gay]

In my mental organization model I have a little bubble that includes
Flossmanuals, Wikieducator, and Mark Horner all grouped together. If I had
to label that bubble with a category it might be something like:  "Fabulous
at Documenting Community Processes" and I would link to Mark's Siyavula
training manuals (http://siyavula.org.za/downloads/?dl_cat=2), the Floss
Manual Booksprint Manual <http://en.flossmanuals.net/booksprint>, and the
Wikieducator Workgroups for
Workgroups<http://wikieducator.org/Workgroup:WikiEducator_Workgroups>page
(amongst others) as examples.  I think that a collaboration between
FHSST and FlossManuals could be both very productive and exciting and I
think that reaching out to WikiEducator
community<http://wikieducator.org/WikiEducator:Discussion>to invite
them to join in some sort of editorial booksprint would a good
idea.

-Josh





On Thu, Aug 26, 2010 at 12:44 PM, Edward Cherlin <echerlin at gmail.com> wrote:

> Waiting to hear. I'm going to make some phone calls.
>
> On Thu, Aug 26, 2010 at 06:48, adam <adam at xs4all.nl> wrote:
> > looks very interesting...any replies ed?
> >
> > adam
> >
> >
> > On Wed, 2010-08-25 at 10:41 -0400, Edward Cherlin wrote:
> >> I left a message:
> >>
> >> I have been gathering resources for projects such as yours. I am
> >> delighted to see you making progress, even under these trying
> >> circumstances. What we have is at your disposal.
> >>
> >> This includes the occasional Ph. D. mathematician and other subject
> >> matter experts, numerous experts in education generally and in
> >> one-to-one computing in schools in particular (including Alan Kay and
> >> students of Seymour Papert), and an online site for rapid development
> >> and publishing. I have contacted several individuals and groups in our
> >> network to ask them to help you with this editing sprint.
> >>
> >> When you get the chance, let us get together, your people and mine,
> >> over the Internet, and see what more we can do to help.
> >>
> >> I am also delighted to see that you have a site for online
> >> collaboration at a.nnotate.com. Let me offer you another, at
> >> flossmanuals.net. You would be welcome to use their tools, which would
> >> among other things allow you to set up projects where you could
> >> approve people to be subject matter editors, copy editors, graphics
> >> editors, whatever you need, and get this done. We have experience over
> >> the last two years in creating books using the FLOSS Manuals book
> >> sprint methodology, in one week start to finish. See
> >>
> >> http://www.flossmanuals.net/
> >>
> >> particularly the manuals for the Sugar education software, and
> >>
> >> http://en.flossmanuals.net/booksprints
> >>
> >> on the methodology.
> >>
> >> See also
> >>
> >> http://www.earthtreasury.org/replacing-textbooks.html
> >>
> >> On Wed, Aug 25, 2010 at 10:15, Edward Cherlin <echerlin at gmail.com>
> wrote:
> >> > These people _need_ us. They have no idea that they could invite
> >> > collaboration over the Internet.
> >> >
> >> > http://www.markshuttleworth.com/archives/497
> >> > Mark Horner is a Fellow at the Shuttleworth Foundation. The model of
> >> > the Foundation is unusual: we identify interesting change agents, like
> >> > Mark, who are articulating powerful ideas that seem like the offer a
> >> > hint of the future, and we fund them to work on those for a year. We
> >> > also offer them an investment multiplier: if they put their personal
> >> > money into a project, we multiply that by 10x or more, up to a maximum
> >> > amount. In short, find good people, back them when they put skin in
> >> > the game.
> >> >
> >> > Mark’s specialty is open content for education: figuring out how to
> >> > produce textbooks collaboratively. He’s done amazing work in the past,
> >> > independently, leading an initiative to produce free high school
> >> > science textbooks, and has lead the acquisition of a full set of
> >> > textbooks in SA and their publication under an open content licence by
> >> > the Foundation. Today, he’s been presented with a really awesome
> >> > opportunity: provide open content to all of SA, with full backing from
> >> > the department of education.
> >> >
> >> > That’s a huge step forward, putting open content much more at the
> >> > center of mainstream thinking. In part, this is precipitated by a
> >> > crisis, the strike action that is affecting many public services like
> >> > education in South Africa. But it’s nevertheless a valuable
> >> > opportunity to show how open content can change the dynamic of the
> >> > rigid world of education.
> >> >
> >> > He needs help, though, to make sure the current drafts of the Maths
> >> > and Science textbooks are free of typos:
> >> >
> >> >    I really need some extremely urgent help, I’ve been approached by
> >> > national government to try to help make free educational resources
> >> > available to support education during the current crisis! We have an
> >> > opportunity to distribute free educational resources to all schools
> >> > that cover:
> >> >
> >> >        * Grade R – 9 for ALL learning areas in English and Afrikaans
> >> >        * Grade 10 – 12 Mathematics
> >> >        * Grade 10 – 12 Physical Science
> >> >
> >> >    All that is required is another edit of the Free High School
> >> > Science Texts before they will release them to all the schools in
> >> > South Africa. We have ONE WEEK to complete this process and
> >> > desperately need volunteers who have post-graduate degrees in Maths,
> >> > Physics, Chemistry or related fields that can help out.
> >> >
> >> >
> http://www.markhorner.net/2010/08/24/calling-scientists-and-mathematicians/
> >> >
> >> > The subject matter is Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry at high
> >> > school level. We need volunteers who have post-graduate degrees in
> >> > Maths, Physics, Chemistry or related fields and are willing to serve
> >> > their country.
> >> > What do we have to do?
> >> >
> >> > It is quite simple, we need to proof-read the books and correct any
> >> > errors. The curriculum is covered, there are enough worked examples
> >> > but there are a few errors which we need to find and fix. If time
> >> > permits we can also simplify language and add more worked examples but
> >> > this is secondary.
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > 3090808-original
> >> > How we plan on doing it.
> >> >
> >> > Volunteers can join us for one or many of the following slots at the
> >> > Open Innovation Studio (27 Buitenkant Street in Cape Town) where we
> >> > will be working through the books. Alternatively volunteers can
> >> > receive material and provide feedback by e-mail. Volunteers will read
> >> > a section, correct it and submit it for capturing. We want every
> >> > section read by two independent people to reduce the possibility of
> >> > errors slipping through.
> >> >
> >> > We will provide copies of the material to be edited, food (lunch or
> >> > dinner), drinks and a superb atmosphere.
> >> >
> >> > We have 1800 pages to read and we estimate that we need at least 6
> >> > people for each of Maths, Chemistry and Physics to complete the
> >> > process. A final editor will be used for each of the books as a third
> >> > and final check.
> >> >
> >> > --
> >> > Edward Mokurai (默雷/धर्ममेघशब्दगर्ज/دھرممیگھشبدگر ج) Cherlin
> >> > Silent Thunder is my name, and Children are my nation.
> >> > The Cosmos is my dwelling place, the Truth my destination.
> >> > http://www.earthtreasury.org/
> >> >
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Discuss mailing list
> > Discuss at lists.flossmanuals.net
> > http://lists.flossmanuals.net/listinfo.cgi/discuss-flossmanuals.net
> >
>
>
>
> --
> Edward Mokurai (默雷/धर्ममेघशब्दगर्ज/دھرممیگھشبدگر ج) Cherlin
> Silent Thunder is my name, and Children are my nation.
> The Cosmos is my dwelling place, the Truth my destination.
> http://www.earthtreasury.org/
> _______________________________________________
> Discuss mailing list
> Discuss at lists.flossmanuals.net
> http://lists.flossmanuals.net/listinfo.cgi/discuss-flossmanuals.net
>



-- 
"Every time the word 'achievement' or 'academics' is used to mean test
scores we cheapen the meaning of both terms." --Deborah Meier
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